Mumbai Indians (MI), on December 15, 2023, gave a huge shock to their fan base as they announced that all-rounder Hardik Pandya will captain the team in the upcoming IPL 2024. This brings to an end a glorious 10-year tenure of Rohit Sharma as MI skipper during which they won 5 IPL titles.
The leadership change comes less than a month after Mumbai brought Hardik back to his original franchise after he had captained Gujarat Titans to a title and a runners-up finish in back-to-back seasons.
It seems like MI had a clear plan when they went above and beyond to get Hardik Pandya back into the fold. The franchise had identified Hardik as Rohit's successor and wanted to ensure a smooth transition as in the past.
In all, Rohit led Mumbai 163 times in the IPL and the Champions League T20, winning 91 games, tying four and losing 68. Under him, Mumbai reached five IPL finals - in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 - and won all of them.
IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya named Mumbai indians (MI) captain; Rohit Sharma's 10-year stint ends
MI head coach Mahela Jayawardena said on the MI website: "It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.
We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; his tenure as the captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 has been nothing short of extraordinary. His leadership has not only brought unparalleled success to the team but has also solidified his place as one of the finest captains in the history of the IPL. Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever. We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI.
We welcome Hardik Pandya as the new captain of MI and wish him all the very best."
However, the Mumbai Indians fans are extremely unhappy with the management’s decision to remove Rohit Sharma from captaincy and give it to Hardik Pandya. They took to social media and shared their emotions in full flow.
Here are some of the reactions:
